


A Little Helping Hand

by FujiwaraJunko



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Alive Thatch (One Piece), Fix-It, Gen, Minor OC Death, Minor Original Character(s), Portgas D. Ace Lives, Reunions, Shirohige Kaizoku-dan | Whitebeard Pirates, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29583132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujiwaraJunko/pseuds/FujiwaraJunko
Summary: Unlike what the world thought, Thatch, Ace, and Whitebeard didn't die. They simply took a trip with a little helping hand, the user of the Travel-Travel Fruit. OC only in the first chapter!
Comments: 7
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

My name is Tabito. I am part of the Whitebeard Pirates, a member of the First Division. Before I met Oyaji and joined the family, I was but a mere traveller, wandering aimlessly around without a destination, searching for something that turned me into a laughing stock the instant I mentioned it wherever I went.

There was a famous rumour passed around my hometown, of an island called Fenix Island. It was my favourite bedtime story. On Fenix Island, it's said that there's a lake of blue flames which never go out. These blue flames are said to be able to cure any illness thought to be incurable and heal even the deadliest of wounds. At some point, someone even claimed to have been brought back to life by that flaming lake.

My mother scolded me when I, as a child who loved to dream, said I would find that lake, and prove that it wasn't just some rumour.

“You must never go there, for those who have gone there are said to never return. They owe their second chance at Life to the blue flaming lake, and so on Fenix Island they shall stay.” So said my mother, who went against her own words to seek out the island when my father fell gravely ill. Just like that, I never saw her again, and my father passed away not long after she left. At the age of 16, now left alone, I decided to search out Fenix Island and left my hometown. At the time, I thought I could bring my father back to life, or that I would find my mother somewhere out there, and it was this drive that pushed me forward. But as time passed, that motive became redundant and Fenix Island became more of an obsession.

I left to find an island that nobody believed could possibly exist, but what I found instead, was a devil fruit. The Tabi Tabi No Mi, a devil fruit said to grant its user the ability to ‘travel’ to anywhere they like. It took me a while with lots of experimentation to figure it out, but I eventually did. I could travel anywhere I liked, but there's a certain limit to my ability where it will eventually run out and require some time to recharge before I can use it again. The further my destination, the faster my power drains, and the longer it takes to recharge. Depending on how far my destination was, it could take me anywhere from a few minutes to days or even weeks to recharge. I found that out the hard way by 'travelling' from, literally one end of the world to the other, the Red Port to the Twin Capes. The old man Crocus and I got to be good friends with how long I stayed there.

* * *

The first thing I did as soon as I was confident enough in my ability, was to see if I could 'travel' to Fenix Island. Fenix Island was just as the rumour said, a small hidden island with no magnetic pull, making Log Poses useless, surrounded by thick fog, which made it hard to find. And there it was, the rumoured lake of blue flames, right in the middle of the small island, impossible to miss. Blue flames covered its surface, but the flames did not burn. I even stuck my hand into the ‘water’ but it just felt warm; a comforting sort of warmth, which reminded me of a mother’s embrace. To test it out, I took a risky gamble and sliced off my leg. I dove into the lake one-legged and resurfaced with two legs. The rumour was true after all!

But I quickly realised why those who have found Fenix Island were said to never return. The thick fog surrounding the island made it nearly impossible to find, and also nearly impossible to leave. It was so thick that I couldn't see my own hand in front of me. I was fortunate to have the power of the Tabi Tabi no Mi. Without it, I think I would've been trapped on that island forever. On top of the thick fog trapping people on the island, the island itself, while clear of the fog, was one big jungle, with animals as big as Sea Kings lurking around, and plants that seem to have a mind of their own. So while the lake does indeed heal wounds, it's over if someone were to get eaten by one of these creatures or killed out of reach of the lake.

With how dangerous it is, I figured Fenix Island would be better off staying a rumour and best never found so it could not claim another victim. I didn't seek out the One Piece for the exact same reason, in case it was something better left unknown. I'm not interested in it anyway. Besides, just imagining the number of pirates who'd come after me if word ever got out is enough to have me write my will and dig my own grave in preparation.

* * *

With my goal accomplished, I had nowhere else to go, so I ended up wandering around doing nothing. When Oyaji first found me, I was just a starving thief who had snuck aboard their ship with my powers, desperate for some food. To my surprise, instead of killing me, Oyaji offered to take me in as his son, giving me a family and a home. They didn't even question how I got onto their ship in the middle of the ocean. Perhaps they thought I was a stowaway from their previous island? I never found out. Whenever I asked, the crew seemed to get a kick out of insisting it was a secret and watching me tear my hair out in frustration, so I stopped asking.

Thatch, the 4th Division Commander, whipped up the biggest and the most delicious feast I had ever seen or eaten to celebrate me becoming their new brother. Ace, the newly appointed 2nd Division Commander, showed me around the ship and introduced me to my new brothers. Marco, the 1st Division Commander, offered me a spot in the 1st Division, saying that my medical knowledge, cultivated over the years as a necessity due to my constant travelling, could be put to good use there. Maybe it's because I had been alone for so long, but I was desperate to keep my newfound family and I didn't want to be kicked off for being useless, so I accepted.

In the beginning, I was constantly afraid of being useless and getting casted aside, so I kept myself busy, doing whatever I could do, whatever was asked of me, without any complaints. I kept my devil fruit ability to myself, so that if they ever deemed me useless one day, this could be my saving grace. Oyaji did eventually found out about this fear of mine and assured me that I didn't have to be useful to be worthy of being his son. After that, it didn't take me long before I was comfortably fitting into this family of misfits and messing around with them. I was even comfortable enough to tell them about the rumour of Fenix Island, and although they did laugh just like everybody else I've told the story to, they weren't laughing in a mean way like all the others. They were laughing because someone joked about it being Marco's secret home island, and Marco's reaction only made us all laugh harder. When I asked if they believed me, they told me yes, and that it'd be great if the island exists, because it would just be another exciting adventure. That's interesting. I've never thought of it like that before. Listening to them, I couldn't help but grin and laugh along. I felt that my life finally has meaning now, to live my life to the fullest with this family I found, going on thrilling adventures together and having fun together, making every day an interesting day. I was starting to learn to enjoy life again, and I have them to thank for it.

* * *

Where did it all go wrong? It all happened so quickly. All I wanted was to get a warm cup of milk to help me relax and ease me back into sleep, but the instant I walked into the kitchen, I blanked out. Thatch– a wound on his back– there was so much blood– and I did the only thing I could think of. I sent him away to Fenix Island.

What have I done? What was I thinking? Even if the Lake of Blue Flames was able to save him, how would he ever survive against those monsters in that wild jungle? I didn't even stop to consider just how far away from Fenix Island we were when I did it, but it was far enough that my power was completely drained. I couldn't go after him, no matter how hard I tried. I remembered staring helplessly into thin air in shock of what I just saw and what I just did, until Ace found me the next morning. I had never been as scared as I was in that moment. How do I explain this to my family? What if they blame me for basically sending Thatch to his doom? Ace didn't say anything as he surveyed the surroundings. He looked from the pool of blood, to me, and then to something I had missed out earlier. A small chest, which once contained the Yami Yami No Mi that Thatch had found on a mission earlier that day, now lay open and empty in the corner of the room.

"What happened to Thatch, Tabito?" He somehow understood from my nonsensical babbling (was it from experience?) that I had basically no idea what happened, that I had found the blood and gone into shock. A meeting was called, there was a roll call, and Teach was discovered to be missing, along with all of his belongings. From there, an obvious conclusion was drawn. Teach had attacked Thatch, stolen the Yami Yami no Mi, and escaped. He had betrayed us.

And everything went downhill from there. Oyaji forbade us to go after Teach for reasons he refused to elaborate more on other than 'he had a bad feeling', but Ace defied his orders and gave chase anyway. Everyone was struggling to come to terms with the loss of a brother while also worrying about Ace. They assured me that I wasn't to blame, but, though I didn't voice my thoughts, I felt that I didn't deserve it. After all, I was just a coward who couldn't even tell them the truth of what happened to Thatch. Red Haired Shanks came sometime after, got into a fight with Oyaji, and then left. I don't know what was said between them, but Oyaji seemed restless after he left. And then suddenly, Ace's public execution was announced and we called all of our allies and prepared for war.

I wanted to 'travel' to Fenix Island to bring Thatch back, but I wasn't sure how far away we were. Ace's life was on the line, and I couldn't risk draining my power before the big fight. I figured I would go after the war, after we saved Ace. Yes, I was putting one brother's life above another brother's life, but what more could I do? It's been weeks since I sent Thatch to that dangerous island, and I have no idea if he even managed to survive. At least I was sure Ace is alive.

...I'm the absolute worst brother ever, aren’t I?

* * *

The Marineford War was a mess. Oyaji's illness made him vulnerable to numerous attacks, Marco was struggling to fight Kizaru with his constant worrying over Oyaji, and Jozu was having trouble with Aokiji himself. Compared to all these powerhouses, I was useless, but there was no option to give up. I'll at least die fighting.

I'm not much good with weapons, but my devil fruit allowed me to do little trips around Marineford. I could help my brothers dodge attacks that would otherwise hit its mark by sending them mere inches away from where they once stood, which also helped conserve my energy in this long battle. I did panic and used a little too much energy by sending Jozu a short distance away when I saw Aokiji moving to use his Hie Hie no Mi on him though. He got distracted, and as soon as he turned away, Aokiji reached out towards his arm. I just barely made it in time to save him from turning into ice and then getting myself away from that walking popsicle. In a battle, the slightest distraction can spell death, but I can understand why Jozu got distracted. I was too, before Aokiji moving for Jozu made me move before I could think. I mean, Marco, the First Division Commander, Oyaji's right hand man, a Phoenix that could heal, got pierced by Kizaru's beams! Sure, he had a seastone cuff around his wrist which was why he wasn't healing, and he himself had been distracted by Oyaji's injuries, but it still took us by surprise. The shock quickly wore off though, as the battle raged on.

This can't be happening. We were so close! Ace was free, and he was making his way back to us! But then Akainu pulled a dirty trick by insulting Oyaji and making Ace confront him, only to go after his injured younger brother instead. Ace shielded him with his body and died in his wailing younger brother's arms, before his younger brother passed out and was carried away by Jinbe while Marco and Vista held Akainu back. Why did this have to happen? We came here to save Ace, and we failed.

No.

Not yet.

There was still something I could do. I could only pray that it'll work. Unnoticed among my grieving brothers fighting viciously back against the smug marines, I 'travelled' to Ace's body and sent him away to Fenix Island, the same way I sent Thatch there. I'll fetch him back after this war if he survives. Or if I, for that matter, managed to survive this war.

I didn't expect that not long after sending Ace away to Fenix Island, I would have to do the same once– no, twice more. Fenix Island was probably close enough for me to be able to achieve such a feat, which was really fortunate for me. Teach cursed up a storm in shock when Oyaji's body disappeared before his very eyes while I snuck away unnoticed. I think he was planning to do something, but we didn't stick around to find out. Not only were my brothers grieving over our loss, they were also confused over the missing bodies. And I, being the coward that I was, still didn't say a word.

* * *

My family was gone. We all split up and went our separate ways after the Payback War went badly. Teach. His devil fruit allows him to nullify other devil fruit powers, and he was backed up by prisoners from Impel Down Level 6, whom he broke out during the chaos of the Marineford War. Dirty bastard. Even if Marco could've won against him alone, it was too much for him to handle when he was still emotionally crippled from our loss in the Marineford War, stressed from having to take up the role of Captain, and ganged up on by several Level Six prisoners. We lost rather badly, and Teach, mocking us, left us alive, utterly humiliating us. We lost our reputation, our turfs were slowly getting conquered, and some guy named Weevil was now hunting us down. Splitting up was the only way to ensure we all stayed safe.

After we split up, I 'travelled' to Fenix Island to see if Ace or Oyaji, or even if it was a little too late by now, Thatch, managed to survive. When I got there, I was disheartened to find no signs of them. They weren't there and I didn't see any tracks around the lake or on the shore. Strangely enough, not even the Moby Dick was there, though I did find some pieces of wood washed up onto the beach. I figured it probably got destroyed by Sea Kings, and it made me sad. Not only have I sent my family to their doom, I've also wrecked what had served as my home for so long. I searched the jungle but I couldn't find anyone. Getting lost in there didn't help, and I was probably going in circles for all I know too. I couldn't believe it. The ones who attacked them were Teach and Akainu, but the one who really killed them was me.

If I had come earlier, could I have found and saved them before they got eaten? If I had never sent them here in the first place, would they have survived? These thoughts still haunted me a year later, even when I stood at the mercy of Weevil. I was alone, and I had just drained all my power to send the townspeople to the next island so that they would not be caught up in his destruction. I had no means of escape, I was completely trapped, and I knew it.

"Tell us where Whitebeard's treasure is, and we'll consider sparing you. It rightfully belongs to us anyway." Mrs Bakkin said as Weevil held his bisento to my neck. I spat in her face.

"There's no treasure, you old hag! And even if there was, Oyaji wouldn't give any of it to the likes of you!"

"How rude of you!" Mrs Bakkin cried as she wiped my spit off her face in disgust. That gave me the slightest bit of satisfaction, and I smirked even when she gave Weevil her cold command. "Kill him, my boy." I closed my eyes as I felt him swinging his bisento. I hoped that if I were to see Oyaji, Ace and Thatch again in the afterlife, they could somehow find it in themselves to forgive me for having caused their deaths. And even if they don't, I would still apologise, and I would thank them for giving me a home and a family.

 _Thank you for loving me._ As I repeated the words Ace had spoken last in my mind, I couldn't help but let out a wide grin. There was a split-second moment of pain, and then, nothing.

* * *

Two graves sat atop a hill, surrounded by vibrant flowers. Footsteps sounded out, and three figures appeared, walking towards the two graves.

“So this is where they chose to bury us… Gurarara, it’s not a bad place.”

“Hey, don’t I get a grave too? That’s just mean.”

“Look, there’s a newspaper here. And…three sake cups…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new fanfic! Decided to try my hand at a story with a minor OC, and I liked how it turned out, so I decided to post it! Hope you enjoy it!


	2. Not Dead

Two graves sat atop a hill, surrounded by vibrant flowers. A man walked up to the two graves, holding two bouquets in his hands.

“Hey, Oyaji, Ace. It’s been a while, yoi.” Marco said, as he set the two bouquets at each grave, and sat down before the graves. “I just got a call form Haruta, yoi. Apparently, we lost yet another brother, Tabito. He did great though. He wasn’t a fighter, but he somehow managed to save all the townspeople by moving all of them to the next island so they would be safe from Weevil, yoi. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m proud of him, and I’m sure you are too, Oyaji.” As he spoke, he scribbled the name ‘Tabito’ down onto a piece of paper, the newest item on the long list of lost brothers, and rolled it back up into a scroll, before placing it at Whitebeard’s grave. This island never rains, so he knew there was no risk of it getting wet and damaged. “Seeing how many brothers we’ve lost so far, I wonder if we would’ve been better off staying together, yoi.” He gave a tired chuckle. “Yeah, I guess not, yoi. Splitting up was the easiest way to ensure **most** of us would stay alive, yoi.” His words were bitter, and he almost spat the word ‘most’ out as if it were venom.

He sighed eventually, the tension in his form fading away, leaving his shoulders slumped in defeat. “The villagers of Sphinx are still safe for now, yoi. I’ve been watching over them, but I don’t know when Weevil will eventually find them, so I won’t be staying long, yoi. I have to go soon, but I’ll be back again, yoi.” He stood up, patting dust off his clothes. “Maybe when Weevil is dealt with, we’ll come together again and visit you as a family, yoi. Although it might sadden you to see how many of us would be left by then, yoi.” He turned around to leave and gave one last melancholic smile back at the graves over his shoulder. “Ah, right. I know I’ve said this before, but sorry about your empty graves, yoi. We couldn’t find your bodies, and we’ve got no leads so far, yoi. If we do manage to find your bodies, rest assured that they will be laid to rest here, yoi.” Marco sighed and pressed his fingers to his eyes tiredly for a moment. “Time to head back, yoi.” His arms changed into flaming wings of blue and gold, and he skilfully kicked off the ground, ascending high up into the sky, flying towards Sphinx.

* * *

Marco froze in mid-air as he caught sight of a ship sailing towards Sphinx. It was a pirate ship, but that specific pirate ship made Marco take a double take before he dove down towards it. He landed on the deck and looked around. Everything was just as he remembered. He let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. “The Moby Dick… But…how, yoi? It disappeared during the war, yoi. I thought for sure…”

“Marco?” He flinched and whipped around.

“Ace.” He breathed. But when he recalled the events of the Marineford War, a cold glare came over him and he morphed into Hybrid Phoenix form, baring his talons at the freckled teen in front of him. “Who are you, yoi?”

“W-W-Wait, Marco! What the hell? Why are you pointing that at me?” Ace waved his arms around frantically, trying to calm the Phoenix, his blue flames flaring in cold fury, down.

“Because my brother is **dead** , yoi. So either you’re an imposter, or **nothing** , yoi.” Marco seethed. Ace stared, stunned by the bitterness in Marco’s voice as he spoke of a brother long gone.

“I…I’m not dead.” Was all he could say, which only made Marco narrow his eyes at him.

“Hey, Ace, what’s the holdu- Is that Marco?” Marco glanced to the side slightly, enough to see Thatch run up beside Ace. “Hey, what’s going on? What did you do this time, Ace?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Ace protested. “ _He_ was the one who’s glaring at me like he’s going to kill me!”

“That’s because I **am** going to if you don’t stop pretending to be my dead brother, yoi.” Marco shot a glare to Thatch. “And that applies to you too, yoi.” He growled.

“Well, even if you say that, it’s not like I can stop pretending to be me when it really is me.” Thatch shrugged.

“Thatch!” Marco shot forward suddenly, and a wall of flames blew up in his path just as Ace pushed Thatch to the ground. “Hey, what’s the big idea, birdbrain?!” Marco levitated at the spot where Thatch was standing just seconds ago, talons clenched tightly like a fist, his gaze on the wall of flames, staring as it slowly dissipated. Ace and Thatch flinched when he let out a low chuckle.

“You’ve really outdone yourselves, yoi. Not only did you manage to look, sound and act the part, you even managed to copy his devil fruit somehow, yoi.” He landed, turning back into a human, and clapped slowly as he turned to face them.

“Stand back, Thatch.” Ace stepped in front of Thatch protectively, coating his fists in flames as he assumed a defensive stance. “It’s clear he’s not going to listen to us, unless we can prove it somehow.”

“I doubt you can, yoi.” Marco said from where he stood. “Thatch’s death was known only to us, but Ace’s death was broadcasted to the world, yoi. I don’t know how and why you thought you’d be able to get away with imposing him, yoi. And you even went as far as to seek out the Mera Mera No Mi just to make it believable, yoi. Not to mention this replica of the Moby Dick that disappeared in that War…” His gaze darkened. “Who are you two, and what exactly are you after, yoi? Is this a way of luring us out to hunt us down, yoi? Just like how that idiot Weevil is claiming to be Oyaji’s biological son and hunting all of us down to find and ‘inherit’ Oyaji’s fortune, yoi?”

“What do you mean, we’re being hunted down?” Ace asked, surprised. Marco scoffed.

“Guess you didn’t do your research before pulling a stunt like this, yoi.” He said as he morphed into hybrid form and shot towards the pair again.

“We were on some random isolated island for who knows how long, and the News Coo don’t even deliver to that island, so how the hell are we supposed to know?!” Ace yelled as he threw a flaming fist forward, which Marco dodged easily. “The most I saw from the newspaper on my grave was that the Strawhats are back after disappearing for 2 years!”

“So you even went to their graves, yoi. Is that where you stole Ace’s stuff from, yoi?” Marco asked impassively, glancing to the bright orange hat and the dagger that this Ace imposter was holding.

“It’s not stealing if it’s mine to begin with, birdbrain.” Ace seethed as Marco dodge one attack after the other. “And speaking of my grave, I want to ask about something. Who placed those 3 sake cups there?”

“If you’re really Ace, then you should know the answer to that yourself, yoi.” Marco replied as he managed to land a kick on Ace’s side, sending him flying to the side.

“Woah, Ace!” Thatch jumped over and caught him, preventing him from flying overboard. “Guess we’re even now.” He smirked, which Ace returned with a smirk of his own before he quickly regained his composure and glared to Marco, who didn’t waste any time in flying towards them with talons outstretched. Thatch quickly drew his swords in a cross to block the attack.

“Knock it off, Marco!” Marco leaned in to come face-to-face with Thatch.

“Make me, yoi.” He jumped back as Thatch pushed him back, and did a somersault in the air, preparing to dive down towards the pair for another attack again. There was a sudden shattering sound, and the previously calm sea turned rocky, shaking the Moby Dick with it. Up in the air, the shockwave that washed over Marco threw him off balance, and he fell, though he managed to land on the deck on his feet, in his human form. His eyes were wide in shock and disbelief as he dazedly looked over to the source.

“What’s going on?” Whitebeard asked as he took in the scene before him, of his eldest son by rank fighting against two of his sons with the intention to kill. “Marco, son.” He frowned. “Why am I sensing such bloodlust from you? What started this fight?”

“Oyaji, tell Marco that we’re not imposters, and that we didn’t steal anything from our own graves!” Ace yelled, pointing accusingly at Marco.

“I’m starting to wonder if it’s not you, but me, yoi.” Marco muttered, bewildered, as he relaxed his stance and stood up straight.

“What, that’s it? If I knew this was all it took, I would’ve gone and gotten Oyaji a long time ago!” Thatch complained.

“…It’s different, yoi.” Marco whispered as he looked down, unable to meet Oyaji’s eyes. “Only Oyaji could’ve controlled the power of the Gura Gura no Mi so well, yoi. Creating a quake on the seafloor to cause a tsunami is something anybody can do with the devil fruit, yoi. But creating a quake that’s enough to only rock the seas is something only one who is extremely well attuned to the Gura Gura no Mi can do, yoi. Not to mention, to generate such a precise shockwave that’s strong enough to only throw me off balance and not hurt me, it can only be done by one who knows me well enough to know the exact amount of strength to use, yoi. But…” He looked up at Whitebeard, who seemed more relaxed than the tense form he previously sported, now that he couldn’t sense any bloodlust from Marco anymore. “But how, yoi? We were all there, yoi.” He looked to Thatch. “We saw the blood in the kitchen, yoi.” Thatch flinched, and Marco shifted his gaze onto Ace. “We saw the Magma Fist in you and watched you die in Luffy’s arms, yoi.” Ignoring Ace’s grimace, he looked back to Whitebeard. “We saw the moment you stopped moving and breathed your last, yoi. So how exactly are you alive, yoi? How are you here, yoi? And where have you been all this time, yoi?”

“We’ll tell you everything we know, son. In return, tell us everything that’s happened since the Marineford War.” Whitebeard said, and Marco nodded solemnly.

“I’ll start first.” Thatch volunteered. “So, that night, all I remembered was being in the kitchen, wondering what to do with the Yami Yami No Mi that I found.” The trio didn’t miss the way Marco’s gazed darkened at the mention of that fruit. “And then I felt pain in my back, and suddenly I was on the floor. I saw Teach take the fruit and walk away, laughing silently to himself. It was dark and cold, and I could feel my body feeling weaker. I knew I was going to bleed out, because nobody else was around; Teach and I were the only ones on night watch duty that night. I passed out at some point, and the next thing I knew, I woke up and I was floating on blue flames!”

“Blue…flames?” Marco raised a brow at him, to which Thatch nodded quickly.

“It’s true! It’s a lake, but there’s no water, just the blue flames! I swam to land, and when I checked my back, there was nothing there! No wound, just blood on my clothes. It was the strangest thing ever!”

“Alright, yoi. But still, really, yoi? A lake of blue flames, yoi?” Marco nodded, going along with it, only to freeze suddenly. “Tabito.” He breathed.

“Huh?” They looked at him.

“Tabito. Didn’t he tell us a story like this before, yoi? Of an island called Fenix island, with a lake of blue flames that were said to be able to be able to heal any wounds and cure any illness, yoi?”

“Now that you mention it, he did. We joked all week that it could’ve been your secret homeland!” Thatch exclaimed. “But wait, you don’t think, Tabito did this?”

“Come to think of it, it was Tabito who found you first too, that night.” Ace said, looking to Thatch. “I mean, we all had a suspicion that he was hiding a devil fruit, with how he nearly drowned when you forced him to play in the sea with you on that hot summer island. Maybe that’s how he sent us all the way to that island?”

“It’s possible.” Whitebeard mused. “It’s certain that the lake of blue flames did indeed heal our wounds, no matter how fatal, and my health is better than it’s been for a long time now. I’ve been going around fine without my medical equipment too, so I have no doubt that my illness has been cured somehow.” He nodded to Thatch, gesturing for him to continue.

“Anyway, all around the lake was a thick jungle, and I tell you, I’ve never been to a jungle quite as dense as that one!” Thatch exclaimed. “I got lost so many times! And when I finally got to sea, the whole island was covered in fog so thick that I couldn’t see a thing! Imagine the Florian Triangle, but thicker fog!”

“And that’s not even far from the truth. I couldn’t see Oyaji next to me in that fog!” Ace added. “When Oyaji and I arrived there after the Marineford War, we woke up in the blue flaming lake too. We wandered around a little, and had a chance encounter with Thatch in the jungle.”

“I was running away from a gigantic walking Venus flytrap.” Thatch grinned.

“And I burned it to the ground.” Ace smirked. “Thatch knew the way around–”

“It was a pretty small island and I had weeks to explore.” Thatch shrugged casually.

“–and he showed us to the beach while telling us all about the island. And when we reached the beach, we saw the Moby Dick, so we all decided to sail away from the island and find everyone. The jungle was filled with huge animals and lots of different edible and medicinal plants, so we stocked up on both food and medicine, and then tried to sail away from the island.”

“The keyword here is ‘tried’.” Thatch sighed. “I wasn’t exaggerating about the fog. We just sailed on blindly, and found ourselves back at the island after a long time of sailing in the fog. So we stocked up again, set sail again, and end up circling back to the island again. This happened several times and while we were in the fog, we had no way of telling day and night, so we have no idea how long it took us to finally be able to leave the fog.”

“You managed to survive on an island like that for so long, yoi?” Marco asked.

“It’s no big deal.” Ace shrugged. “Plants are no match for my fire, and I hunted down bigger animals as a child.”

“I’m still questioning your childhood.” Thatch shook his head at him. “But yeah, somehow, we got lucky and managed to sail out of the fog. We weren’t sure if it was good idea to land at any island, since we’re supposed to be dead and all, and we didn’t want to cause a commotion. So we only landed on isolated islands.”

“And since Oyaji wanted to go check on Sphinx to make sure nothing happened to his homeland while we were gone, we were sailing towards it when we stopped at that island back there and found our graves.” Ace said, jerking his thumb back at the sea behind them. “And then we went on our way and found you. Or rather, you found us.”

“Nothing happened to Sphinx, yoi. I’m making sure of that, yoi.” Marco said. “I’ve been on Sphinx for the past year, watching over it, yoi.”

“Gurarara, that’s good to hear.” Whitebeard grinned. “And how are the rest of the family doing, son?” Marco winced.

“We…We split up, yoi.” He looked down guiltily. “We tried to fight Teach again last year, but he had several Level 6 prisoners from Impel Down on his side and we were overwhelmed, yoi. Enemies started coming for us from all over, and we had to split up for our own safety, yoi.” He couldn’t meet any of their gazes as he continued. “And there was Mrs Bakkin and Weevil to worry about too, yoi. They claimed to be your wife and biological son, and insisted that your treasure rightfully belongs to them, yoi. Well, not like any of us believe them, of course, but they still hunted us down, and they’ve already killed quite a fair number of us, yoi.”

“…Was that what that list of names were, on Oyaji’s grave?” Thatch asked softly as Marco nodded in reply.

“Tabito was their most recent victim, and I went to the graves to add his name onto the list, yoi. We all kept in touch, and we agreed to give them a proper burial once we’re out of danger, yoi. Though I guess, they’ll have to make do with an empty grave, yoi.” He sighed. “Other than that, last I heard from Haruta, the rest of us are doing well, yoi.”

“My sons,” Whitebeard said, his grip on his bisento tightening, “are all the sons I took in, and no one else. **They** are my **_only_** treasure.” The air around them began to crack and the sea turned choppy. “They stole my treasure.” He murmured, and tears welled up in his eyes as he mourned for the deaths of his sons, which he had not known of until now.

“Oyaji…” Ace and Thatch looked away, anger and sorrow reflected in their eyes.

“I’m sorry, Oyaji. It’s because I couldn’t protect them, yoi.” Marco said. “You entrusted them to me, and I failed you, yoi.” Whitebeard shook his head, reaching down to hug Marco.

“No, son. You have not failed me, and you are not to blame for this. Nobody is to blame for this. Nobody, but the perpetrators themselves. We will make them pay, but not now.” His three sons looked up at him. “What we have to do now, is gather our family back again, and make sure no one else dies. Once we’re back together again, we’ll train, and we’ll come back stronger. Only then, will we set off to make those who messed with us pay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo, the Whitebeard Pirates are gonna regroup and come back stronger than ever! The Marines will have their hands full! XD Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next! ;)


	3. Reunions

“Please tell me you’re joking.” Ace nearly begged, only for his hopes to be dashed when Marco nodded. “Luffy really went up against Kaido?”

“Yeah. Izo and I went to give him a hand, and he had formed an alliance with Trafalger Law, one of eleven Supernovas, the Samurais of Wano Kingdom, and the Minks, yoi. Before Kaido, he picked a fight with Big Mom too, yoi. And before that, he and Trafalgar Law also took down Doflamingo, yoi.” Marco smirked, enjoying the way Ace’s jaw kept dropping and the way he kept pacing around, his feet aflame, and literally burning a hole in the floor of the Moby Dick.

“But is he okay?!” Ace asked, evidently stressed out but the news.

“He is, don’t worry, yoi.” Marco patted his back, making Ace relax slightly.

“I can’t believe he did that.” Ace muttered, his flames dissipating as he calmed down.

“He did meet someone interesting in Dressrosa, yoi.” Marco mentioned.

“Really? Who?” Ace looked to him curiously.

“You remember that you asked me who placed those 3 sake cups on your grave, yoi?” Ace nodded in reply. “I asked Luffy about it actually, and he told me something interesting from your childhood, yoi.”

“My childhood… I do have an idea of who could’ve place them there if not Luffy, but…” Ace bit his lips. “But...that person is already…” He looked up at Marco. “There’s no way he could’ve done it, because Sabo’s dead! He died when we were kids!”

“Not according to Luffy, yoi.” Marco said. “He met Sabo in Dressrosa, yoi. Seems like he’s part of the Revolutionary Army, and he’s been with them ever since losing his memories in a huge accident when he was 10, yoi.”

“He…lost his memories?” Ace asked. “So that’s why he never came home… How did he remember then?”

“Luffy didn’t tell me that much, but I have an idea, yoi.” At Ace’s curious look, Marco looked down. “It’s just a guess, but being in the Revolutionary Army means he will be kept up-to-date with what happens around the world, yoi. Since he only appeared in Dressroasa, 2 years after the Strawhats went missing in Sabaody Archipelago, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to assume that something happened in the past 2 years that gave him such a huge shock that it triggered his lost memories, yoi. And the only big event that happened in the past 2 years that had anything to do with his childhood…” Marco trailed off, but Ace grimaced, having caught his hint.

“…is the ‘death’ of his brother…my ‘death’, in the Marineford War, right?” Marco nodded. “Shit. I’m gonna have to make it up to him when I see him again.” Ace cursed under his breath. “Knowing that idiot, he’s going to be blaming himself too.”

“It won’t be long before we find him, yoi. Once we gather the Whitebeard Pirates back together again, we’ll go find both him and Luffy, yoi.”

“Speaking of which, how are we going to gather the Whitebeard Pirates?” Ace asked.

“I have an idea!” Thatch quipped as he walked over to them with Whitebeard. “So, here’s what I was thinking…”

* * *

“Hello, Marco? What’s up?” Haruta asked as he picked up the call. “It’s rare for you to call me. Did something happen? News on Weevil?”

“No. But something’s happened, yoi.” Marco’s voice was dark and the expression reflected on the Den Den Mushi could not be described as anything other than anger. Whatever happened, it was bad enough to make Marco absolutely furious, and Haruta couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

“W-What happened?”

“Someone robbed their graves, yoi.” His blood ran cold at that, and for a moment, his mind blanked out.

“Oyaji’s and Ace’s graves?”

“Yeah. I came here to write Tabito’s name down, and their stuff are all gone, yoi.” Then came the anger, and Haruta understood Marco’s fury at that moment. “Haruta.”

“I know. I’ll let everyone know, and we’ll gather at their graves. Hunting us down is one thing, but **_nobody_** messes with Oyaji and Ace.” He snarled. “I don’t care if we get completely annihilated in the process, and I know neither will the others. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, and we’ll hunt them down to the ends of the earth for this.” He quickly hung up and started making more calls, enlisting the help of his 12th Division to notify everyone in the crew.

* * *

Within days, the entire crew of the Whitebeard Pirates were gathered at Whitebeard’s grave, all positively fuming, and their weapons at the ready.

“It’s really gone…” Izo stared up at both graves, eyes wide, and clenched his grip over his pistols. “Damn it, who did this?!” He seethed.

“When we find them…” Kingdew muttered darkly.

“Oi, something’s coming this way, yoi!” Marco called out from up in the sky, dropping down to the ground. It was a small island, and they were high up on the hill, so the ocean was in clear view from where they stood. Everyone turned simultaneously, squinting their eyes at the approaching figure in the distance.

“Hey, isn’t that…?” Vista gaped.

“The Moby Dick...!” Rakuyo exclaimed.

“But how? It disappeared in the war!” Jiru said.

“And not to mention, who’s steering it?” Fossa questioned. Collectively, they all ran down the hill to the shore, where the Moby Dick was just arriving. They watched as the anchor was lowered, and those who knew Haki, namely the Division Commanders, scanned the vessel for any presences. What they found made them freeze, much to the concern of their other brothers.

“Taichou? What’s wrong? What is it?”

“It’s…Oyaji…” Bleinheim swallowed.

“A-And Ace.” Atmos added. “Thatch too. But…” They all flinched when three figures walked up onto the whale’s figurehead, and the sight brought tears to their eyes, though none of them realised in their shock.

“Gurarara, it’s good to see all of you again, my sons.” Whitebeard said, a fond grin on his face, as Ace and Thatch stood on either side of him, wearing cheeky smirks on their faces. There was no reaction from the stunned crowd though, and they just kept staring, gaping at the new arrivals, until they were broken out of their trance by the sound of flapping wings. Marco, a playful smirk on his face, flew up to Whitebeard in hybrid form, perching on Whitebeard’s shoulder.

“M-Marco… Wait, did you know?” Haruta asked, breaking out of his shock.

“It was Thatch’s idea, yoi.” Marco said simply.

“Hey, you agreed to it! Don’t push all the blame onto me!” Thatch complained instantly, shaking his fist up at Marco, who merely pretended not to hear him.

“Thatch roped us into it!” Ace laughed when Thatch turned to him with the same complaint, and jumped off the ship, landing in front of Izo. “So, Izo, I heard from Marco that you gave Luffy a hand in Wano Kingdom? How was Luffy?”

“He really takes after you, that troublesome little brat.” Izo managed a smile, before his tears overcame him and he reached out to pull Ace into a tight embrace, burying his face into his shoulder.

“That so? Well, I’m glad to hear that he’s doing well!” Ace grinned, patting Izo comfortingly. Thatch jumped down from the ship to join them.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Izo? Your makeup’s probably smudging by now.”

“Shut up, I’ll fix it up later! You’re next, by the way, Thatch!” He laughed at Izo’s scolding.

“Sure! But you’re gonna have to take your turn, because here comes my fellow prankster!” Just as he said that, Haruta slammed into him. “Hey, Haruta! So, what did you think of the prank?”

“The best, and the worst, at the same time!” Haruta choked out a laugh.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Thatch chuckled.

“I’m glad to see all of you are doing fine, sons.” Whitebeard spoke as he descended from the ship as well.

“Oyaji!” They cheered collectively and launched at Whitebeard, Marco quickly flying away to avoid the incoming dogpile. Surrounded by his elated sons, all shedding tears with wide smiles on their faces, Whitebeard’s booming laughter resounded throughout the entire island.

* * *

Not long after the initial joyful reunion, the Whitebeard Pirates stayed for a few days to make graves for their fallen brothers and allies, finally able to give them a proper burial. They laid their offerings and apologised for making them wait so long. After their mourning, they left the island as a whole, sailing away on the Moby Dick. On the ship, Whitebeard, Ace, Thatch, and Marco told them about their experience on Fenix Island, how Marco found them, and their suspicions on how they turned out alright in the end, sending their silent thanks to Tabito. They also shared their plans with the crew, who, despite their eagerness for revenge, took it in stride, admitting that it was necessary, given how the previous two wars went. They decided to first build up their strength and plan their attack on the Blackbeard Pirates carefully, before going into another war. Meanwhile, one of their own was anticipating two more reunions with his sworn brothers, which they plan to make happen first, while re-capturing their turfs along the way.

They let the news spread that the Whitebeard Pirates were back again, but kept Thatch’s, Ace’s and Whitebeard’s return hidden for the time being, wanting to allow those who were hunting them down dig their own graves. Nobody could hide the gleeful smirks on their faces when Mrs Bakkin and Weevil appeared, just as they knew the pair would, only for them to turn deathly pale when Whitebeard made his presence known.

The Whitebeard Pirates’ revenge on the pair successfully exacted was the hot topic of the week. People from all over the world wondered if the news meant that the Whitebeard Pirates were making a full comeback, and all who had wronged them felt the first hint of anxiety and dread creeping up on them.

* * *

“Oyaji, we have a guest, yoi.” Marco reported to Whitebeard, who understood immediately and got up from his throne, returning to his room and concealing his presence. Marco took over him on the throne, sitting down just as Jozu and Vista escorted their blond-haired guest to him. He took a while to observe the newcomer, quickly taking note of the burn scars covering most of the noble-like young adult’s face, and it was clear the newcomer was doing the same, surveying his surroundings as well, evidently wary.

“My apologies for suddenly dropping in like this. I am Sabo, of the Revolutionary Army, but the purpose for my visit today is entirely personal, and has nothing to do with the Revolutionary Army.” Sabo bowed respectfully. “I simply wanted to drop by and see for myself, the family who loved my brother enough to go to war for him.”

“It wasn’t enough, yoi. We should’ve been able to save him, yoi.” Marco said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he recalled their failure.

“You did your best, and you proved to him that you genuinely want him to live, that he was truly accepted by all of you. That’s more than anyone has ever done for him, and for that, I am grateful. Because of his heritage, Ace always believed that he didn’t deserve to live.” Sabo said, his sadness showing on his face as well. “And yet, you guys went to war for him. Without even knowing his dark past and the burden he carried on his shoulders, you showed up at Marineford with every intention of saving him. I don’t know if you knew how much it meant to Ace that you even came for him, but I know that he must’ve been touched beyond words when you didn’t abandon him, even after knowing who his father was.”

“Of course, yoi. None of his past nor his heritage mattered to us, yoi. Once he joined this crew, as far as we’re concerned, his father i– was nobody other than Oyaji, and he’s our little brother, yoi. How did you expect us to just turn our backs on him as his big brothers, yoi?” Sabo chuckled, before his gaze became downcast.

“I… When I heard about his last moments, I felt relieved. Somewhere out there in the vast world, while I wasn’t around, he managed to find a family who loved him as much as Luffy and I do, and whom he loved and cared about just as much as he did for Luffy.” He gritted his teeth, fists clenching. “I…didn’t know anything! The entire time that you and even Luffy were fighting to save Ace, I was enjoying my life elsewhere, blissfully oblivious to it all!” He soon relaxed, looking defeated. “But regretting about it now wouldn’t change anything. We promised to live a life without regrets when we were young, and he’d punch me if he knew.” He choked out a chuckle at that, wiping his tears before smiling to Marco. “I may not have been there, but I’m glad that at least in his last moments, Ace died surrounded by people who truly loved him.” He bowed deeply, his tears falling onto the deck. “Thank you, all of you, for loving Ace.” Marco stared at him for a while, before looking to the side with a small smirk.

“You heard him, yoi. So? What do you want to do now, yoi?” Sabo wondered briefly who the Phoenix was talking to, but before he could look up to find his answer, he felt a force connect with his head, sending him sprawling to the ground.

“Hey!” Sabo pushed himself up, rubbing the back of his head. “What’s the big–”

“I knew it, you were blaming yourself after all.” He looked up, wide-eyed in disbelief, at the owner of the voice, who smirked at him. “You haven’t changed one bit, Sabo.”

“A-Ace…”

* * *

“Oi, ship spotted!” Usopp yelled out from the crow’s nest, peering through his binoculars. “That symbol is… It’s the Whitebeard Pirates!” True enough, the Moby Dick sailed to a stop beside the Thousand Sunny and the anchors of both ships were lowered.

“Marco!” Luffy yelled out as he shot himself up onto the Moby Dick.

“Nice to see that you’re doing well, Luffy.” Marco replied as Luffy gave him a wide grin.

“Yeah! What brings you guys here?” Marco shook his head, jerking his thumb back.

“Nothing much, yoi. Just brought a visitor for you, yoi.”

“Who?” Luffy leaned to the side to see behind Marco, and lit up upon seeing Sabo. “SABO!” His arms stretched towards the blonde, and before Sabo could even react, Luffy slammed straight into his gut.

“Oof! Lu…” Sabo groaned as he lay on the deck, with a laughing and completely unapologetic Luffy sitting on him.

“Shishishi! Sorry, sorry!”

“You really have to think before you act sometimes, Luffy. Not everyone is made of rubber like you.” Nami grumbled as she boarded the ship alongside the other Strawhats.

“Nice to see you again, Sabo.” Robin giggled. “But it’s surprising to see you with the Whitebeard Pirates. Did Dragon-san ask you to come?” Sabo sat up, ignoring Luffy’s arms wrapped around him in several spirals, completely immobilising him.

“Nah, I had some time off, so I thought I’d drop by to see Ace’s family.” He chuckled. “By the way, Lu, there’s someone else who wants to see you.” Luffy followed the direction Sabo was pointing to curiously, only to freeze.

“Well, you sure seemed to have taken a liking to Marco, Lu. Looks like you’re doing well. That makes me feel relieved.”

“No way…!” Nami gasped as she brought her hands up to her mouth.

“A-Ace… But w-weren’t you dead?” Usopp asked. “We all saw the news!”

“Well, I did think I was a goner for sure, at that time.” Ace replied. “But– Woah!” He was interrupted by a rubber fist flying straight through him, thanks to his Logia type Devil Fruit. “Hey, Lu?!”

“Who are you? You can’t be Ace.” Luffy’s voice was dark and solemn as he stood next to Sabo, having already released him. “Ace died 2 years ago. Where did you get his stuff? And where did you get the Mera Mera no Mi?” Marco laughed.

“That’s the exact same reaction I had, yoi.”

“Yeah, damn near killed us too!” Thatch pouted as he walked up to the Phoenix.

“Looks like Luffy probably learned a thing or two from you.” Ace smirked to Marco, who shrugged.

“It’s a perfectly reasonable reaction, yoi. I mean, if I hadn’t told you about how Luffy met Sabo in Dressrosa, you probably would have punched Sabo the instant you saw him, yoi.”

“Not probably, he definitely would’ve punched me for real.” Sabo agreed.

“Fair enough.” Ace laughed before turning to Luffy, who now looked more confused than angry. “Anyway, Lu, it’s a long story, but I assure you, it’s really me.” Luffy still didn’t look too convinced, but Ace, with his years of experience in dealing with Luffy, was already prepared for it. “Listen carefully, and don’t ever forget, Luffy. I will never die. Got it?” He recited, and the more he spoke, the more Luffy relaxed his stance, eyes growing wider with each word. “Sabo told me to take care of you too. I promise you that I’ll never die, no matter what. As if I can leave behind a wimpy brother like you.” He sent Luffy a smirk. “I kept my promise, didn’t I?”

“I hardly count almost dying as keeping your promise though. Not to mention, you practically ‘died’ in his arms, making him think you were dead all this time.” Sabo scoffed, making Ace roll his eyes at him.

“Oh, shush, Sabo! You’re not one to speak, making us think that you were dead for 12 years!” Sabo shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’m not the one who promised him not to die.” Luffy’s stance completely relaxed, and not one second later, he burst into tears.

“Ace…! It’s really Ace! ACE!” Ace felt his heart drop into his stomach when Luffy stretched his arms out towards him and his hands latched onto his shoulders.

“No, Lu, wait, WAIT!” It was too late though, because Luffy was already flying towards him at the speed of light by that point, and Ace soon found himself being knocked overboard by the force, landing into the ocean with a loud splash.

“AH, ACE!”

“Luffy, wait–!” The Strawhats and Sabo collectively sighed and facepalmed when Luffy jumped in after Ace.

“LUFFY(-san)!” Brook and Chopper were quick to follow, much to the other Strawhats’ annoyance.

“Not the two of you too!” Nami and Usopp chorused angrily.

“They really don’t seem to learn their lesson…” Jinbe murmured under his breath, finding himself still amazed at the liveliness of the crew.

“Oi, Luffy! Ace!” Sabo dived in after his two brothers, as did Sanji and Zoro dive in after Brook and Chopper.

“Namur.” Marco’s face was buried in his hand as he pointed to the sea with his other hand, Namur nodding in understanding and jumping into the ocean for Ace.

“Gurarara, that cheeky brat’s still as lively as ever. He sure seems like a handful.” Whitebeard commented in amusement as he exited his room to watch the chaos.

“You don’t even know half of it, Oyaji.” Marco shook his head exasperatedly, despite the fond smile on his face. “But what else did we expect, when he’s the troublesome little brother of _our_ troublesome little brother, yoi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of A Little Helping Hand! I hope you've enjoyed the story and thanks for sticking with me throughout!


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